Venture into the Bisti Badlands
THE WIND BLOWS my tour guide’s long hair out of his face as we walk. Gilbert Tsinnajinnie’s dark curls fly toward the wide brim of his hat, which is tan and banded with white and red like the rock…
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Kingston Ghost Town Museum Gets New Life
A BLUEGRASS TRIO JAMS in the shade of a refurbished adobe home, its textured walls painted white and roof trimmed with a dusty turquoise. Notes from the stand-up bass, guitar, and mandolin provide…
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Tips for Summer Family Fun
SCOTT NYDAM FOUNDED Gallup’s Silver Stallion to help get kids interested in mountain biking. The club has grown from one middle school physical education mountain-bike program in 2018 to 13 in-school…
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Hit These Family-Friendly Summer Festivals
JUNE 17–22 Spaceport America Cup The intercollegiate aerospace engineering conference is inspirational—and open to the public—as more than 150 teams design, build, and fly rockets at New Mexico’s…
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Five Summer Activities for Kids
KEEPING YOUR KIDS BUSY (and off their devices) can feel like a full-time job. Finding fun and educational activities that fit their individual personalities and interests can be even harder. Feel free…
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Smokey Bear Turns 80
“SMOKEY BEAR’S ‘GOTCHA DAY’ is in May,” says Smokey Bear Historical Park manager Mary Lavin, using the modern term for pet adoption anniversaries. The real-life orphan cub, who’d been badly burned in…
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Best Places to Stay Near the Gila
BACKCOUNTRY TRAVELERS CAN PICK any spot and set up camp, although some of the more scenic sites are popular for a reason. When the water starts to feel warm as you walk along the Middle Fork of the…
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To the Gila and Beyond
SEE THE GILA WILDERNESS like Aldo Leopold with a guided horseback trek from Joe Saenz, of Wolfhorse Outfitters, or Becky Campbell, of Gila Hot Springs Ranch. Hike to the undeveloped Lightfeather Hot…
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Joe Saenz Makes Connections with the Land
H AVING RETURNED TO HIS ANCESTRAL lands almost 30 years ago, Joe Saenz shows people southwest New Mexico as his ancestors experienced it. Representing the Chiricahua Apache, who he believes are the…
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Find These Plants in the Gila
THE GILA NATIONAL FOREST lists 51 plant species and 16 insect species as being of “management concern,” meaning they rely on National Forest habitats for their survival or are potentially affected by…
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